The Shady Side Of Chrishell Stause

When Netflix's real estate show "Selling Sunset" premiered back in 2019, fans were introduced to Chrishell Stause, a realtor who had only just joined The Oppenheim Group at the time. "I wasn't one hundred percent sure what I was signing up for when I started, so it was a bit of a learning process," Stause told Refinery29 of the show in 2020. "But in season two, I felt like I'd earned my place in the group. I was more confident with my decisions. And I found it easier to stick up for myself." 

In the years since, Stause has made a lasting impression on fans, eventually earning her place as one of the show's most popular and talked-about cast members. But of course, Stause's status in reality television is hardly a surprise, given her long-running career in entertainment.

Before "Selling Sunset," Stause thrived as a television actor with credits on shows like " All My Children," "Days of Our Lives," and "The Young and the Restless." For the reality star, though, acting was more about fulfilling her childhood dream. "My mom and my grandma would watch these soaps, and these were the most glamorous, beautiful women I'd ever seen, and I was the farthest thing from that you could be," she once admitted to Smashing Interviews Magazine. "I saw people in my life look up to them and idolize them, so I idolized them and wanted to be them."

But while fans of soaps and "Selling Sunset" might love seeing Stause on their screens, there is no denying that she's occasionally shown a shady side.

In July 2021, Chrishell Stause and her boss Jason Oppenheim revealed they were in a romantic relationship. "Chrishell and I became close friends and it has developed into an amazing relationship," Oppenheim confirmed to People at the time. "I care about her deeply and we are very happy together." A representative for Stause also confirmed that the "Days of Our Lives" star couldn't have been happier with Oppenheim. 

Although a good number of Stause's co-stars were supportive of the romance, fans were certainly taken by surprise. "Chrishell Stause dating Jason Oppenheim is so chaotic, among other adjectives that I'll keep to myself," one fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "Petition for Netflix to do a 90-minute special investigating how Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim came to be dating," a second user tweeted after news of the pair's relationship broke. 

Despite what started off as an enviable love story, Stause and Oppenheim called it quits after only seven months together. Per Page Six, the couple broke up after being unable to agree on the subject of kids. But while it might have been a plausible enough reason, the breakup coinciding with the end of Season 5 roused suspicions amongst fans who suggested the relationship was scripted. "Because it was fake and for the show," one fan wrote in response to a Reddit post examining reasons for the pair's split.

Though both Stause and Oppenheim have continued to defend the authenticity of their time together, some fans still have their doubts. 

Reality TV show feuds come and go, but with Chrishell Stause and Christine Quinn, there's no end in sight. Per Elle, the pair's feud dates back to Season 1 of "Selling Sunset" when they had a fallout over Chrishell's nosy comments about Mary Fitzgerald's relationship with Romain Bonnet. But while the two women tried to remain cordial through Season 2 and the first few episodes of Season 3, things took a turn during Stause's highly publicized divorce from actor Justin Hartley, when Quinn circulated unverified speculation among the show's cast members.

And with Quinn constantly speaking on the feud in interviews, many viewers believe her to be the villain of the two women. Others, however, seem to think Stause is secretly fueling the feud. In Season 5 of "Selling Sunset," Stause was seen telling her boss and then-boyfriend Jason Oppenheim to fire Quinn for her comments over the pair's relationship. "This is probably an unpopular opinion but Chrishell has been messy. It's scary how obsessed she is with Christine. How do you go to trying to get Jason to fire her?" one person wrote on tweeted. "Chrishell really just said Christine can't sell a house if her soul depended on it. Then literally said Jason and Brett should fire Christine. She's really everything she claims Christine is," another user pointed out. 

After joining the "Selling Sunset" cast, newcomer Nicole Young soon found herself in a feud with Chrishell Stause. Young, who joined the show in Season 6, accused Stause of taking credit for two of her listings years earlier. Throughout the season, Young continued to take jabs at Stause, eventually implying, per People, that their boss Jason Oppenheim was playing favorites with Stause and allowing her get away with "stealing."

As arguments between the two continued, Stause attributed Young's behavior to drugs. "You're on drugs, you're on something," Stause told Young at a dinner party in Palm Springs (via Cosmopolitan). "It doesn't seem like there's only wine in your glass, you've been acting a little 'cracked out' all night." To back up her claim, the "Days of Our Lives" star also listed Mary Fitzgerald's bachelorette party as one occasion where Young previously used drugs. 

Speaking to People, Young described Stause's allegation as shocking, adding that it was a difficult moment to relive. "I was like a deer in headlights. It took me a moment to even process what she had said, and I was gutted. I was just absolutely gutted," she shared.

In response to the allegation, Young threatened to take legal action against Stause, who has since continued to stand by her claim, much to the displeasure of fans. "Chrishell is honestly such a mean person and somehow gets away with it. She AGAIN was accusing Nicole of doing drugs?" one wrote on X, following the premiere of Season 7 in November 2023.

In Season 7 of "Selling Sunset," viewers got to watch Jason Oppenheim's romance with model Marie-Lou Nork. But while fans might have enjoyed seeing Oppenheim with his new love interest, Nork soon found out she was not particularly liked by Chrishell Stause. During the Season 7 premiere, Nork admitted to feeling unacknowledged by Stause, whom she accused of intentionally ignoring her. "I just had this experience with Chrishell where she just said hi to me when Jason was around, and otherwise didn't speak to me. It's a bummer," she said in a conversation with other cast members (via US Weekly). "She totally ignored me. That's mean girl s***."

Nork isn't the only one who thinks Stause deserves the "mean girl" title, as fans have long called her out for similar behavior. "Another season of Chrishell being a mean girl but acting like a victim and trying too hard to be quirky," one person tweeted following the show's Season 5 premiere in April 2022. To further drive the mean girl narrative, another "Selling Sunset" fan took to the platform, alleging that Stause only went into a relationship with Oppenheim to get Christine Quinn fired.